presidential race

With less than a month to go before Election Day, Barack Obama’s campaign is sponsoring Jewish outreach events in three important swing states this weekend – and that doesn’t even include “The Great Schlep.” At noon at a Philadelphia Jewish community center, Pa. Gov. Ed Rendell (D) and U.S. Reps. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) and Jan… More ▸

Both presidential candidates made the requisite references to Israel in their debate last night. As they ponder more thoughtful policies in the Middle East, here comes analyst Martin Kramer with some unsolicited advice: Focus on Iran and the Persian Gulf and don’t worry too much about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. More ▸

Obama adviser Robert Gibbs took on Fox News host Sean Hannity last night over his use of anti-Semite Andy Martin to make wild claims about Barack Obama. The Sun-Sentinel has more on Martin, while the New York Times interviews Martin, who denies being an anti-Semite and says it’s a “peripheral” issue. And Glen Greenwald in… More ▸

Both John McCain and Barack Obama said last night that they wouldn’t wait for the United Nations Security Council to give its approval before sending troops to Israel in the event of an attack by Iran. Here’s the transcript: Shirey: Senator, as a retired Navy chief, my thoughts are often with those who serve our… More ▸

After a big day of Jewish outreach featuring everyone from Ed Koch to Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) to actress Blythe Danner in Pennsylvania last Sunday, the Barack Obama campaign has a major Jewish outreach event scheduled for this Sunday in Cleveland. The 5 p.m. event at Landerhaven is scheduled to include Dennis Ross, Rep. Jane… More ▸

Sarah Silverman talks to the New York Times about her video for “The Great Schlep.” The National Jewish Democratic Council’s new advertisement deals with energy independence, while the Republican Jewish Coalition’s latest is about Obama’s statement that he would meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad “without preconditions.” Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff reveals that Barack Obama’s campaign… More ▸

Barack Obama released a statement Monday expressing concern about the success of two far-right parties in Austrian elections on Sunday. The Freedom Party and Jorg Haider’s Alliance for the Future of Austria garnered 29 percent of the vote combined, while the two moderate parties each received less than 30 percent of the vote for the… More ▸

Two top retired Israeli security officials say they had no idea that interviews they did this summer would be used for a pro-Barack Obama video. Former Mossad director Ephraim Halevy and retired Gen. Uzi Dayan were among seven retired Israeli security officials who appear in an eight-minute video endorsing Barack Obama, which was released Monday… More ▸

Al Franken (D) leads Sen. Norm Coleman (R) by nine points in a new poll of voters in Minnesota, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The paper also has a report on the first debate of the campaign, held Sunday night. On “Meet the Press”… Democratic strategist Paul Begala warns that the GOP’s guilt-by-association reasoning could… More ▸